It Does more than Just the body good

When a person is feeling hungry or thirsty they usually feel it in their body, whether its your mouth feeling dry to give you the idea of being thirsty or your stomach grumbling telling you to EAT SOMETHING. So when we do get something to eat or drink, it’s to fulfill that sense, but we tend to forget that the brain is sending these messages since it also relies on a healthy diet and not just our bodies. Our bodies need a certain amount of water, as an athlete it can cause rapid muscle fatigue. In fact, the number one reason for daytime fatigue is due to insufficient hydration. By hydrating you influence the chemical balance released into the systems of your body; having access to sufficient amounts of water can result in a 2% decrease in cortisol levels in the body. Cortisol is the stress hormone in the human body which is a good chemical for the short term since it heightens our senses but in the long term causes major stress, so decreasing cortisol in the body will decrease stress. Keeping yourself well hydrated throughout the day is vital to a point where even a 1% decrease in body water can positively influence both the brain and physical performance.

Now when choosing the right foods to eat to optimize the brain usage we look at several of the different possible snacks and meals. For example, a teenage brain would need a snack about every 45 to 75 minutes in order to supply the brain with a necessary level of glucose; brain function can suffer when blood glucose concentration becomes low. Combining a protein with a complex carbohydrate could be seen as a great snack such as fruits like pears, apples, raisins, hummus and pita, granola, cheese with whole wheat crackers, and even peanuts or peanut butter on whole wheat. These eating and hydrating tips can be vital on an exam day or a day for a presentation.